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Alabama entering bumpy ride through SEC

SEC Women's notes

Alabama coach Rick Moody has been around the SEC long enough to know teams are going to experience ups and downs.

Adam

Minichino

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But Moody, who is in his 12th year as the Crimson Tide's head coach, didn't expect his team would be one of a handful of league teams fighting through growing pains.

Alabama started the season a program-best 9-0 and was 12-1 entering SEC play, but things haven't gone very smoothly in SEC play.

Moody's team is 15-5 and 3-4 in the SEC entering an all-important game against Arkansas (14-6, 4-3) on Thursday. Both teams are on the NCAA Tournament bubble, and Moody knows his team needs to turn things around if it wants to avoid missing the ''Big Dance'' for the second straight season.

''Our basketball team has been a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde according to who shows up,'' Moody said. ''We haven't played with the consistency that we need to play with in the SEC. We're sitting here at 3-4 and we're going to try to get to .500. I think that will be a key, and hopefully we will get there and we will be a factor in stretch run.''

Alabama bounced back from a program-worst 96-41 loss to Georgia on Jan. 7 to beat Auburn 60-53 on Jan. 11. But instead of finding their legs, the Crimson Tide stumbled, losing to South Carolina and Ole Miss at home.

The Crimson Tide rebounded to defeat Mississippi State 65-62 on the road but then became Kentucky's first SEC victim four days later, losing 71-64 in Lexington, Ky.

''We have had some difficult losses and then we have come back and played well and beaten some ranked teams,'' Moody said. ''Then we have beaten some ranked teams and then we have come out flat against teams that somebody would expect us to beat. I think the only thing you can do is be honest with the kids about their approach to the game and their commitment to the game and to the team and about whether they are mentally prepared to play every game and how critical every game in this league is.''

Alabama bounced back to beat Ole Miss 67-64 in Oxford, Miss, on Jan. 28. The victory was the program's 500th and was the 249th of Moody's career. It also lifted Alabama to 5-0 in games decided by three points or less, but with games remaining vs. Tennessee, at LSU, at Auburn, at Vanderbilt, vs. Georgia and vs. Florida, Moody knows things could get rocky if his team doesn't find its groove.

''I don't think there is a sermon I can preach an hour before the game to make kids ready to play. I think is on the kids and their commitment to the team and their passion to win.''

Alabama could get a lift from junior forward Sparkle Smith, who returned from a stress fracture last Sunday to play 19 minutes against Ole Miss. Smith, who Moody said was at about 65 percent, leads the team in rebounding (7.2 per game).

Another struggling team

Mississippi State coach Sharon Fanning said three weeks ago she wasn't going to panic over her team's 0-2 SEC start.

Fanning is sticking to that line, even though her team lost its fifth straight league game last Sunday to fall to 10-9 and 1-7.

To make matters worse, All-American sophomore forward LaToya Thomas has been battling a viral infection, which kept her out of the starting lineup last Thursday against Auburn. Thomas kept her 51-game double-digit scoring streak alive in the game and continues to move up MSU's all-time scoring list.

Still, Fanning, like Moody, is looking for more consistency from her team.

''Hopefully the lessons we have learned in the last month are going to pay off in a positive way,'' said Fanning, whose team will host Georgia on Sunday at 3 p.m. ''We have not had a couple of wins we thought should have. My main concern is for us to be competitive on a consistent basis.''

Fanning said her team is still showing signs of immaturity and inconsistency 19 games into the season. But Fanning feels her team still has the potential to be the most improved team in the league come February.

And with Thomas, who Fanning said should be at full strength this weekend, Mississippi State has a go-to player who can attract a lot of attention and do so many things on the floor. Thomas is leading the league in scoring (22.7 points) and is fourth in rebounding (8.7).

Now Fanning said the key is to get more consistent play from the supporting cast of junior forward Jennifer Fambrough and senior point guard Cynthia Hall, as well as players like freshman forward Dana Benemon off the bench.

''So much of our success depends on attitude and expectations, not so much on Xs and Os,'' Fanning said.

''It is heart and what the players believe and what they expect (to happen).''

This and that

Arkansas sophomore India Lewis returned to the lineup Jan. 28 after missing six weeks with a broken hand. She scored nine points, all on 3-pointers, in the Lady Razorbacks' 77-68 win over Auburn. The win was Arkansas' fifth in a row. ... Auburn's Tasha Hamilton became just the sixth Tiger to reach 1,300 points and 600 rebounds in a career when she scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds against Mississippi State last Thursday. She also moved into 10th place on the program's all-time scoring list with 13 points against Arkansas last Sunday. ... Freshman SeSe Helm scored a career-high 24 points last Thursday in Kentucky's 71-64 win over Alabama. ... The Old Dominion game last Sunday was the 900th game of Tennessee coach Pat Summitt's career. If Summitt and the Lady Vols beat Connecticut on Thursday, Summitt would earn her 750th career victory. The win over Old Dominion marked the 25th time Tennessee has won at least 20 games in a season. It is just the second time the Lady Vols have done that as early as January.